The hourly wage needed to rent a two-bedroom home in every state

To rent a two-bedroom home, on average, you would need to earn
$21.21 per hour as a full-time worker in the US. That figure is
higher in states like New York and Maryland that are hurting the
most from the nation's affordable housing crisis.

A newreportfrom the National Low Income Housing Coalition shows what
an hourly worker needs to make to afford a two-bedroom rental
home — without paying more than 30% of their income — in each
state, plus Washington, DC and Puerto Rico. Depending on
location, the hourly wages required for housing range from
$9.68 (in Puerto Rico) to $35.20 (in Hawaii) for people working
40 hours per week, 52 weeks per year:

Note:
This map does not account for the 37 localities, or the urban
growth boundary of Portland, Oregon, with minimum-wages higher
than the standard state or federal wage. No local minimum wages
are sufficient to afford a one-bedroom unit at FMR with a 40-hour
work week.Skye
Gould

The map is a stark reminder that many Americans,
especially low-income workers, can't afford to rent even a modest
home.

The average wage needed to rent a two-bedroom home ($21.21)
is nearly three times more than the federal minimum wage of
$7.25. Over 2 million US workers make at or below the
federal minimum, according
to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Some states are worse than others. In Maryland, for
example, the average two-bedroom costs $1,470 per month, according
to HUD's Fair Market Rents estimates. To sign a lease, a
renter would need to earn $28.27 per hour, even though the
state's hourly minimum wage is stuck at $8.75.

The report also looks at the availability of affordable
housing in counties around the US. It reveals that nationwide,
there are only 12 counties where minimum-wage workers can afford
one-bedroom units. These counties are all in states with minimum
wages above the federal standard: Washington, Arizona, and
Oregon.In places with big urban housing
markets, like California and DC, there are even larger deficits
of affordable housing.

Even if Americans make above minimum wage, they could still
feel like they aren't making enough to scrape by on rent —
let alone save for retirement.